Ference Accepts Game 2 Suspension

BOSTON (CBS) – The NHL decided to suspend Andrew Ference for Saturday’s Game 2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Boston Bruins defenseman said Friday he accepts their decision.

“It’s a decision the league makes, as a player you deal with it but as far as having a public opinion, I don’t think it benefits any player to express any opinion about it,” Ference said from the Bruins practice on Friday. “As a player, you accept it and move on to the next game.”

Ference was suspended for an illegal hit on Leafs’ forward Mikhail Grabovski during the first period of their 4-1, Game 1 win over the Leafs. Ference and Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli stated his case on a conference call with the league on Thursday afternoon, but wouldn’t go into any detail what was discussed.

“I think that’s reserved between Peter, myself and the league,” said Ference. “It does nobody any good to talk about those kinds of things in this kind of medium.”

Bruins head coach Claude Julian was asked about the suspension, but did not have much to say.

“Nothing to comment on,” he said.

Rookie defenseman Dougie Hamilton practiced on Friday after sitting out Game 1, and could be in line to take Ference’s spot. Julian broke up the Zdeno Chara-Dennis Seidenberg pairing at practice on Friday, and said there would be a lot of mixing and matching on the Bruins’ blueline come Saturday night.